What You Need to Start Running

Running is perhaps one of the most beneficial physical activities you could do on a regular basis. It helps your blood circulation, it keeps you fit and even improves your mood. However, getting into the positive habit of running on a regular basis might require a little bit of commitment from your hand. Many people have good intentions and they genuinely try to get started on a regular running routine, but they fall through the cracks of their busy weekly routine, and end up not keeping up with their own pledge. Here are a few things you need in order to start running!

Motivation

Get motivated for running over and over again

If you are looking for the most important “secret” to how to start running, the answer is that your motivation is the most important thing. You need to want to take on the challenge and be willing to spare some time. If you have difficulties to get you motivated to go out running, look at this page for help.

There are tons of reasons why you should run and a lot of benefits. Keep them in mind, it will keep you motivated!

Time

Make up some time for running

This connects to the previous point. In order to develop a nice, steady running routine, you need to carve out some time out of your schedule. You can start small to get used to running: try an hour a week and see how it goes, then you can keep adding more running sessions as you see fit. The important thing is to avoid overworking yourself and never overestimate how much you can handle, because you might end up burned out pretty quickly!

Also try to build in your runs as exchange for other means of transportation. Run to the office if the distance is not too far and you have an opportunity to get a shower at work. Or literally run for errands.

Running Shoes

Get good running shoes

Your feet are the part of your body that makes contact with the surface and the first part of your suspension chain. So the one piece of equipment you should care about the most when buying your running gear, are definitely running shoes. You might think about the style of running you want to perform or if you even want to go barefoot. It is probably the best to get your feet and your stride analyzed at a local running store.

Running Playlists

Music will push you forward

Music is one of those amazing running aids that can really get you “in the zone”. There is just nothing that can improve your focus, motivation and even endurance, like a set of songs you love. Music can keep you focused and energized, and it can also help you sustain your pace and balance your running.

I’ve been presenting you some songs from my running playlists in my weekly running tunes series. Check out the start of it here.

Stay Safe

When running, it is very important to be aware of your surroundings and take the most appropriate safety measures. It is a great idea to wear lights or reflective clothing while running in the dark, and if you run in a very busy metropolitan area, always be careful with headphone levels if you listen to music: it is important to keep your ears peeled for dangerous things such as cars and vehicles.

Heart Rate Monitor

If you want to keep track of your physical progress, a heart rate monitor is a great tool to help you track your performance. These days, heart rate monitors can offer some truly amazing, state of the art features. For instance, many heart rate monitors currently available on the market can actually connect through your mobile devices through specific apps like Strava, or they can broadcast data and streams directly to your social media….a great way to keep tabs of your progress and even receive feedback and encouragement from your friends and family.

So these are just some things you should keep in mind in the early stages of your running career. To get to know more on how to actually train in your first running week check out this article.

What was your most important thing when you started running? Let us know in the comments section below.